1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electrically powered apparatus which are used to sharpen a cosmetic pencil which is comprised of two separate mediums, a handle portion which is usually made of wood but can be made of other material such as plastic or resin, and a cosmetic applicator portion which is usually made of paraffin wax.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In general, the concept of sharpening a cosmetic pencil is known in the prior art. The following fourteen (14) patents are relevant to the field of the present invention.
1. U.S. Pat. No. Des. 251,977 issued to Leuenberger on May 29, 1979 for “Dual Cosmetic Pencil Sharpener” (hereafter the “Leuenberger Patent”);
2. U.S. Pat. No. Des. 262,295 issued to Kaye on Dec. 15, 1981 for “Cosmetic Pencil Sharpener” (hereafter the “'295 Kaye Patent”)
3. U.S. Pat. No. 4,248,283 issued to Kaye on Feb. 3, 1981 for “Cosmetic Pencil Sharpener” (hereafter the “'283 Kaye Patent”);
4. U.S. Pat. No. 4,281,698 issued to Mobius on Aug. 4, 1981 for “Pencil Sharpener” (hereafter the “Mobius Patent”);
5. U.S. Pat. No. 4,402,354 issued to Halpern on Sep. 6, 1983 for “Sharpener For Cosmetic Pencils” (hereafter the “Halpern Patent”);
6. U.S. Pat. No. 5,379,819 issued to Uang on Oct. 30, 1990 for “Pencil Sharpener” (hereafter the “Uang Patent”);
7. U.S. Pat. No. 5,379,817 issued to O'Neil on Jan. 10, 1995 for “Sharpener For A Soft Element Pencil” (hereafter the “O'Neil Patent”);
8. U.S. Pat. No. Des. 378,835 issued to Guerrero on Apr. 15, 1997 for “Cosmetic Pencil Sharpener” (hereafter the “Guerrero Patent”);
9. U.S. Pat. No. 5,875,555 issued to Andrisin on Mar. 2, 1999 for “Crayon Sharpener Assembly” (hereafter the “Andrisin Patent”);
10. U.S. Pat. No. 5,894,669 issued to Luttgens on Apr. 20, 1999 for “Sharpener For Soft Core Pencils” (hereafter the “Luttgens Patent”);
11. U.S. Pat. No. 6,065,514 issued to New on May 23, 2000 for “Compact Handheld Battery Operated Cosmetic Pencil Sharpener” (hereafter the “New Patent”);
12. U.S. Pat. No. Des. 431,263 issued to Greenhouse on Sep. 26, 2000 for “Cosmetic Pencil Sharpener” (hereafter the “Greenhouse Patent”);
13. U.S. Pat. No. 6,530,153 B1 issued to Kleban on Mar. 11, 2003 for “Cosmetic Pencil Sharpener” (hereafter the “Kleban Patent”);
14. U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US2004/0261275 to Fregeolle on Dec. 30, 2004 for “Sharpener For Creating A Frusto-Conical Tip” (hereafter the “Fregeolle Patent”).
The Leuenberger Patent is a design patent which discloses a mechanical handheld cosmetic pencil sharpener having two barrels to receive and mechanically sharpen a cosmetic pencil.
The '295 Kaye Patent is a design patent which discloses a mechanical handheld pencil sharpener which as disclosed in FIG. 8, has the ability to sharpen two different sized cosmetic pencils.
The '283 Kaye Patent is a utility patent which discloses a mechanical handheld pencil sharpener which has the ability to sharpen two different sized cosmetic pencils.
The Mobius Patent is a utility patent which discloses a mechanical pencil sharpener which has two different sized chambers to sharpen two different sized cosmetic pencils.
The Halpern Patent is a utility patent which discloses a mechanical pencil sharpener which can sharpen two different sized cosmetic pencils.
The Uang Patent is a utility patent which discloses an electric pencil sharpener which sharpens the pencils by means of a pair of oppositely rotating rollers.
The O'Neill Patent is a utility patent which discloses a sharpener for a soft element pencil which achieves the sharpening by means of a rotating sharpening blade which cuts a point onto the end of the pencil being sharpened.
The Guerrero Patent is a design patent which discloses a cosmetic pencil sharpener in the shape of a pyramid.
The Andrisin Patent is a utility patent which discloses a mechanical crayon sharpener having a pair of convergent sharpening blades.
The Luttgens Patent is a utility patent which discloses a mechanical device having a shaving rib which causes the tip of a pencil to be formed into the desired shape.
The Fregeolle Published Patent Application discloses a writing instrument sharpener which has one blade for cutting a tip and a second transverse cutting blade to form a frusto-conical tip.
The New Patent is a utility patent which discloses a handheld electrically powered cosmetic pencil sharpener which has a cutting blade having two sections to cut a pointed tip into a cosmetic pencil. By virtue of the fact that it has only one battery and is handheld, the cutting is extremely slow and the device can move while a person is holding it so that the brittle tip of a cosmetic pencil will more than likely shatter during the sharpening process.
The Greenhouse Patent is a design patent which discloses a design for the shape of a mechanical cosmetic pencil sharpener.
The Kleban Patent is a utility patent which discloses a mechanical cosmetic pencil sharpener which has a multiplicity of different sized openings to receive different sized cosmetic pencils.
None of the prior art discloses a rapid sharpening electrically powered cosmetic pencil sharpener which can quickly and efficiently sharpen a cosmetic pencil to a proper blunt point and sharpens it in a manner that will prevent the brittle paraffin wax material from shattering or cracking.